1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to managing electronic conversations across multiple devices and messaging systems.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Messaging applications such as instant messaging (IM), text messaging, and group messaging are common on computing devices, and becoming even more prevalent. At the same time, the use of multiple clients, i.e., computing devices (for example, computers, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, netbooks, car communication systems, etc.) for communicating via messaging is also multiplying.
Current systems may recognize that users can use multiple devices, and may provide availability description capabilities that distinguish between desktop and mobile devices. However, these typical availability descriptions only provide a coarse view or high level information, that is, mobile device vs. desktop computer. Further, automatic availability updates based on activity on a device do not accurately reflect the user's preferences for receiving messages on one or more devices. In addition, when IM use expands beyond desktops and laptops, a user's actual availability may vary more than the options provided by typical IM systems (for example, available, away, in a meeting, offline, etc.). Current systems can support receiving messages simultaneously across multiple devices that are connected to the system, for example, accessing email from multiple devices.